Ep 036 "Drunk on Direct Action: The Destruction of Army Special Forces in the GWOT"

The direct action concentration of US Army Special Forces (SF) in the conduct of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan at the expense of the specialized and storied legend of what SF could do in non-permissive environments raising partisan forces behind enemy lines. The Army SF concentrated on perfecting a craft that numerous other combat organizations like the USMC 0311, .Army 11Bs and the exquisitely talented Ranger Regiment could do handily not to mention the legendary prowess of the Tier One units.SF could capitalize on the rich heritage of a regional expertise harnessed to a deep cultural IQ and understanding of allied and coalition fighting organizations. In concert with the deep intelligence and actionable intelligence infrastructure in a naturally expeditionary mindset practice strategic compression: the employment of tactical means to achieve and satisfy strategic end-states.SF needs to carve out their talent-stacks and showcase what makes them unique.References:David Maxwell Counter-Unconventional Warfare (2014)Douglas Porch Counterinsurgency: Exposing the Myths of the New Way of WarAnn Scott Tyson American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim GrantH. John Poole The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO’s Contribution to WarfareMark Bowden Blackhawk Down: A Story of Modern WarBob Scales Scales on War: The Future of America’s Military at RiskAaron B. O’Connell Our Latest Longest War: Losing Hearts and MindsHy S. Rothstein Afghanistan and the Troubled Future of Unconventional WarfareRobert Asprey War In The Shadows: The Guerrilla In HistorySpecial Forces Detachment Mission Planning Guide HQDA January 2020My Substack:https://t.co/7a8jn2MmnxEmail at [email protected].

Om Podcasten

An unauthorized podcast series peeking behind the curtain at the vast machinery and briar patch politics of fighting terrorism and insurgency and everything in between. I'm a "COINtra" and not a "COINdinista", the latter are the vast army of apparatchiks and apologists who fire the engines of Irregular Warfare (IW) planet-wide. We're the skeptics and doubters of all things IW and special operations. And we are a tiny sliver of the IW community. I have noticed a jarring gap in this part of the discussion and intend on filling the breach.I am NOT Special Forces (SF) nor Ranger tabbed nor a graduate of the SF Qualification Course. I was an 18E candidate in A/3-12 SFG(A) who received an active duty US Army commission (OCS) in lieu of attendance of the SF qualification training pipeline as an US Army NCO.Substack: Chasing Ghosts: An Irregular Warfare PodcastSmedley D. Butler Fellow for Military Affairs at the Libertarian Institute:I am an Amazon Affiliate.You can contact me at [email protected].